22 BULLETIN 389, TT. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGEICULTITEE. 



of whom are appointed by the governor from different political parties for terms of 

 four years each. The duties of the State highway commission are to devise, adopt, 

 and furnish standard plans and specifications for highway construction and mainte- 

 nance; to collect and disseminate information and give instruction and advice to 

 local highway ofiicials; to appoint such assistants as may be necessary and to have 

 general supei'vision of the county and township road officials of the State. Standard 

 specifications for all bridges and culverts, railroad overhead crossings or subways, 

 must be furnished by the State highway commission to the counties or railroad com- 

 panies without cost, and all work on such bridges must be done in accordance there- 

 with. 



A law of 1913 provides that the board of supervisors of each county employ an 

 engineer or engineers and select and designate from the highways of their respective 

 counties not less than 10 or more than 15 per cent of the main traveled roads of the 

 county, connecting the principal market places of the county and with the county 

 roads in adjoining counties, to be known as the county road system. It is also re- 

 quired that the roads so designated be plainly marked on a map to be furnished by 

 the State highway commission, which finally is forwarded to the State highway com- 

 mission for consideration and modification or approval. Other roads in the county 

 are to be known as the township road system. If any county fails so to designate the 

 county road system, the State highway commission does so and charges the cost 

 thereof to the county. All surveys, plains, and specifications for the improvement 

 of the roads embraced in the county road system are subject to approval by the State 

 highway commission. 



The board of supervisors of each county has general supervision of its roads, with 

 power to establish, vacate, or change them and to see that the laws in relation thereto 

 are carried out. The board of supervisors of any county may establish a permanent 

 road improvement district or districts and cause the highways therein to be improved 

 by grading, draining, paving, or macadamizing and assess not less than 50 per cent of 

 the cost on abutting or adjacent property and may levy a tax not to exceed 2 mills on 

 each dollar of taxable property in the county, including incorporated cities and towns. 



Road districts in townships having created such districts are consolidated into 

 one township road district, and all township road funds belonging to these districts 

 are made a general township road fund. The township trustees in all such townships 

 are required to employ a superintendent of the township road system. 



Each year the township trustees of each township select from its township road 

 system the roads to be dragged for the year, to be known as ' ' draggable ' ' roads, which 

 shall include all roadsin consolidated school districts and all main routes. The town- 

 ship trustees employ a superintendent or superintendents, not exceeding four, who 

 have general supervision of all dragging and repair work on the township road system 

 and make contracts for the dragging of roads. For these purposes there is expended 

 under the direction of the township trustees through the road superintendent not less 

 than the 1-mill drag tax. 



Two days' labor on the roads may be required of each able-bodied male between 

 21 and 45 years of age, not exempt by law, and a penalty of $3 for each day so required 

 is provided for failure to perform such labor either in person or by able-bodied sub- 

 stitute. 



The boards of supervisors of the respective counties levy a tax of 2 mills on the 

 dollar on all taxable property outside the limits of incorporated towns or cities, the 

 proceeds from which constitute the county road-building fund, to be used for the 

 purpose of grading and building roads outside the limits of incorporated cities and 

 towns. The boards of supervisors also levy not more than 1 mill on each dollar of 

 taxable property in their respective counties, including municipalities, for the county- 

 road fund; and on petition of a majority of the electors who are freeholders in any 

 township in the county the board may levy 1 mill additional on property of the 



